The attorneys argued that Honeycutt died as a result of a heart attack and not strangulation. They say the medical examiner who testified to Honeycutt's cause of death had questionable credentials and Masterson's previous counsel was negligent in failing to uncover that information.

The state maintains that Masterson's attorneys have revealed no new scientific evidence since his trial.

The state also says in court filings that Masterson confessed to police, his brother as well as then-Attorney General Greg Abbott--who is now the governor of Texas--that he murdered Honeycutt.

“I meant to kill him,” Masterson reportedly wrote to Abbott. “It was no accident.”

Evidence presented at trial showed that Masterson dumped Honeycutt's body in Gerogia, where it was found on Jan. 27, 2001.

After fleeing to Florida, prosecutors said Masterson met a man at a Tampa gay bar who testified to having survived an attack from Masterson. The attack was similar to the one that killed Honeycutt, who Masterson also met in a bar.